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The legalisation of hemp has led to wide commercial availability of cannabidiol (CBD)-containing products. Here we show that the CBD-hydroxyquinone (HU-331), a readily formed oxidation product and common impurity in CBD isolates, undergoes a previously unknown photo-isomerisation to produce a highly reactive intermediate in solution. Studies supported by calculations indicate that this intermediate rapidly reacts with oxygen to form a multitude of cannabinoid products. The purple colour observed in light-aged CBD-containing solutions is largely due to the anions of these by-products and is not significantly due to the HU-331 anion. Our findings suggest that these uncharacterized cannabinoid derivatives can be present in CBD-containing e-liquids and solutions that have been stored under ambient light conditions, calling for quality control processes that manage HU-331 contamination., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Human herpesvirus 8 is a gammaherpesvirus which may be implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. Viral DNA sequences have been found in the bone marrow, peripheral blood and leukapheresis products of myeloma patients. These findings have significant implications for the use of leukapheresed cells in the transplantation and immunotherapy of myeloma. The studies suggest the cell which harbours the virus may be dendritic in origin. We have previously reported that dendritic cells cultured for use in the clinical setting do not harbour HHV-8. In this study, we examined the leukapheresis products of a larger cohort of myeloma patients for the presence of HHV-8 using a highly sensitive PCR technique. A strong association between HHV-8 and myeloma was not confirmed, with only 4% of the patient samples positive for viral sequences. While further study is needed, the current use of apheresis cells and their cultured progeny in the treatment of myeloma should not be compromised.

Human herpesvirus type-6 (HHV-6) is a recently isolated herpesvirus which is highly prevalent in adult populations around the world. HHV-6 was first isolated from the peripheral blood of six individuals with lymphoproliferative disorders, two of whom were also infected with human immunodeficiency virus. HHV-6, in common with other herpesviruses, transactivates the HIV long terminal repeat linked to reporter genes and has in addition been shown to accelerate HIV gene expression and CD4 cell death in cultures co-infected with both viruses. The virus is tropic for CD4+ lymphocytes and persists in the peripheral blood of most seropositive individuals. We have now identified a gene in HHV-6 encoding a 490-amino-acid polypeptide homologous to the human adeno-associated virus type-2 (AAV-2) rep gene. This gene has an essential role in AAV-2 DNA replication, can trans-regulate homologous and heterologous gene expression, and inhibits cellular transformation. The acquisition of rep by HHV-6 could be due to natural transfer of genetic information between DNA viruses of eukaryotes and is likely to have important consequences for the life-cycle of HHV-6 and for the host CD4 cell.